As people age, many factors tend to cause either a slow or rapid decline in their walking ability. Aids for walking have long been available to those whose mobility is impaired. One such aid is the ubiquitous cane which is typically configured to have the form of the letter “J”. The curved portion of the cane is typically grasped by the hand of a user so that the user may support a significant portion of his or her body weight on the elongated straight shaft portion of the cane. The bottom end of the cane typically has a circular rubber tip placed thereupon to provide a non-skid interface with the floor or other surface being traversed by the user of the cane.
While the traditional J-shaped cane has been a great help to many users, it has proven greatly inadequate in many situations. Some people have ailments beyond that condition requiring only a single cane. Such people may include a person who has suffered an injury, illness, has arthritis, has undergone a recent medical procedure, or who has any other debilitating condition. Often a person's doctor recommends or insists that he or she use a walker for “safety” as a regular cane does not provide enough support and/or stability. These people typically stop going out (i.e., leaving their homes) as much as they had done prior to the imposition of a walker requirement upon them. In essence, these people stop living life as they used to. A common complaint is that they don't like being seen in public with a walker as they look like an “old cripple”. Another common complaint is that the walkers are just too cumbersome and difficult to carry in and out of a car, etc. These people often tend to stay in the home, maybe using a cane and holding onto furniture to get around. Even if these difficulties are overcome, there is still a more severe problem associated with the use of a walker. When a person uses a walker they lose important upper body trunk rotation and arm swing which is a necessary part of a normal, safe gate cycle. Consequently, their walking ability actually tends to regress as a result of walker usage. Their conditions usually worsen and typically, as their condition continues to decline, they fall. There needs to be a solution which overcomes the stigma and logistical difficulties of using a walker yet provides more support and security than does the traditional single cane. The modular support system of the invention provides such support and security and, in addition, promotes upper body trunk rotation and arm swing, thus preserving and improving the gait cycle.
The traditional cane is of little or no use to a user walking on sand or other loose terrain, on ice, on grass or other soft terrain (e.g., a golf course), and in many other environments. In addition, some users suffer from conditions that require differing amounts or styles of support at a particular time. The traditional cane does little, if anything, to accommodate these needs. Still other users require specialized handle styles, special configurations of the cane shaft, and/or specialized requirements for the tip portion of the cane. The needs of these users are not met by conventional canes of the prior art.
Some users also find that a single cane provides sufficient support (and the resulting sense of security) under most circumstances. There are, however, other circumstances where the single cane configuration fails to provide enough support. One example of such a circumstance is the transition of a curb by a person whose arthritis is particularly severe on a particular day. The single point of support offered by the single cane may place the user at risk for a fall. However, a separable cane structure such as that provided by the instant invention provides a temporary second point of support (i.e., a second cane) for use in stepping off or onto the curb. After the curb transition is complete, the user may simply and quickly reassemble the two components of the inventive modular walking support system into a unitary cane structure. However, a user of the walking support system of the present invention may decide how much support he or she needs (i.e., a single support in the home or as bilateral support outside) for safe walking on different surfaces or in different environments. This allows the user much more freedom to get out of their home and to live life to the fullest, feeling secure when walking.
It is believed that the prior art provides no teaching of a modular walking support system having interchangeable head portions (i.e., handles), interchangeable shaft portions, as well as interchangeable tip portions. The prior art has, however, suggested canes and other walking aids which are separable into two similar devices. When only one is required, the two separate parts combine with one another for convenience.
An example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 1,375,912 for COMBINATION DUPLICATE OR SINGLE CANE OR STICK, issued Apr. 26, 1921 to John T. Huddle. HUDDLE teaches an arrangement wherein the main shaft of one cane is removably contained within the hollow main shaft of the other. Because the mechanics of this arrangement, one cane (i.e., the inner cane) must, by necessity, be smaller in both diameter and length than the outer cane. While, if made from sufficiently strong materials, the difference in diameters may not provide a problem to a user, however the difference in the two cane's length may provide a significant problem. Perhaps most importantly, to separate the HUDDLE cane into two operable portions, the unitary cane may have to be lifted from the ground and certainly, at least the inner section of the cane will not be touching the ground during disassembly. This leads to an unsafe condition where the cane's user may be completely unsupported. The fact that HUDDLE cane requires large movements such as reaching with the arms during assembly and/or reassembly may cause the user to loose his or her balance.
Another example of a two-part cane of the prior art may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,075 for TWO-IN-ONE QUICK RELEASE CANE, issued Dec. 3, 1985 to William P. Hoffman. HOFFMAN also teaches an arrangement wherein a first cane is housed inside a second cane. This arrangement suffers from all the same deficiencies as the HUDDLE cane discussed hereinabove.
By contrast, the modular walking support system of the present invention, the unified cane-like structure is formed by longitudinally abutting two portions of the cane structure, neither sections being enclosed by the other. This allows both sections of the cane to remain in firm, operative contact with the ground during the disassembly and reassembly operations. This feature provides significantly improved safety to the user of the cane as he or she is never without the support of at least one of the cane sections. This inventive structure with its inherent advantages is seen to overcome the many shortcomings of canes of the prior art.
Persons who have suffered an injury, illness, have arthritis, have undergone a recent medical procedure, or who have any other debilitating condition may find that separating the two parts of a cane of the prior art requires strength and dexterity beyond his or her capabilities. One embodiment of the walking support system of the present invention includes a mechanical arrangement to assist in separating the joined sections. This as well as other features of the modular walking support system of the present invention are not shown in the prior art.
None of the above patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.